Farmers in Shimla's Kupvi cultivate millets under MGNREGA initiative

Kupvi is traditionally known for its diverse millet varieties, including finger millet, foxtail millet, barnyard millet, amaranth, and buckwheat. However, in recent years, local farmers have lost interest in these nutritious cereals, which were once the hallmark of the region.

One successful participant in this initiative is 37-year-old Pooja Devi from Bhaaloo Panchayat. With government assistance, she has revitalised her land to grow millets. Along with her mother-in-law, Kamla Devi, she cultivates cholai (spinach amaranth) and koda (foxtail millet) and receives daily wages under MGNREGA.

"I got an amount of 50,000 rupees for land development and additional support from MGNREGA to grow millets. We now have nearly one bigha of land where we grow cholai and koda. My mother-in-law educated me on the health benefits of traditionally grown millets. I earn 240 rupees daily to grow these crops in my fields. Our harvest will be marketed by the government through recently formed self-help groups of women in our village, Panchayat," said Pooja

Another woman farmer, Ruma Devi, from Kanda bnah Gramme Panchayat, has started growing millets this year.

"We got free seed for growing Koda (foxtail millet) and spinach amaranthus. I have cultivated both crops in the month of April, this is wonderful for me. I am getting MANREGA wages for working in my own field. We have cultivated the millets in one Biga of land and are looking forward to increasing it in the near future. I am excited to get the crop harvested in a few months and would sell organic food to people for better health. I am happy to grow a traditional millet crop," Ruma Devi, a resident of Kanda Bnah village, said.

The Block Development Office of Kupvi, led by Arvind Guleria and his team, has been instrumental in reigniting farmers' interest in millet cultivation. "With the collaboration of local farmers and the agriculture department, we have motivated farmers to grow millets by incentivizing them with MGNREGA schemes like land development, protection walls, and rainwater harvesting tanks," BDO Arvind Guleria explained.

Guleria emphasised that farmers growing millets receive benefits from government schemes and that their products will be sold through the National Rural Livelihood Mission with the support of self-help groups. "Eighty-two percent of Himachal Pradesh's land is rain-fed, and the changing global climate threatens local agriculture and food security. Millets can address these challenges as they consume less water and have a low water and carbon footprint," Guleria said.

This year, over 80 farmers have joined the initiative, including Dinesh Sharma from Malat Panchayat, Rajender Kumar from Judu Shillal Panchayat, and Suresh Kumar from Bhaaloo Panchayat, who have pledged to sow millets on two bighas of their land. In return, they receive MGNREGA benefits and other government scheme incentives. "There are nearly 3,000 people involved in the MGNREGA scheme in Kupvi block, with over 200 now engaged in traditional farming and growing millet crops. Last year, we started motivating farmers for organic millet farming and are organizing camps to train women farmers," Guleria added.

"So far, we have spent 80 lakh rupees and connected 115 women farmers in the region's villages. With a target to spend 2 crore rupees, we aim to connect nearly 300 farmers by the end of the year. We are placing more emphasis on women farmers and aim to involve 500 by December 2026. These farmers are being connected with self-help groups to ensure a good market for millet crops. We are also exploring platforms like Flipkart and Amazon for forward market linkage," Guleria further explained.

Shimla district administration is keen to expand this initiative to other blocks and panchayats within the district. Anupam Kashyap, Deputy Commissioner of Shimla district administration, stated, "Millets have been an integral part of our diet for centuries and are known as 'nutri cereals.' With the growing health hazards, we are encouraging our farmers to grow millets. We have started this under the MGNREGA scheme in Kupvi block of Shimla district and will extend it to other areas. We are helping farmers through various schemes to motivate them to grow millets through organic farming."

"Millets have been an integral part of our diet for centuries, millets are also called "nutri cereals" Now, with the growing health hazards, we are trying to encourage our farmers to grow millets. We have started it under MANREGA scheme in Kupvi block of Shimla district and will be taking it forward in other areas of district and we are trying to help the farmers through various schemes to motivate them to growing millets through organic farming," said Anupam Kashyap, Deputy Commissioner, Shimla district administration.

This initiative not only aims to boost the cultivation of millets but also seeks to ensure sustainable agricultural practices and improved livelihoods for farmers in Shimla's remote regions. (ANI)